Ask the people behind most fledging natural brands where they want to be in five years’ time and they’ll usually mention the name of two well-known retailers.
And who can blame them? On paper, supplying the big names sounds like an amazing move that generates serious sales while exposing mainstream customers to ethical natural and organic products.
Unfortunately, reality can provide a rude awakening. Talk to brand owners who’ve actually gone down the High Street route and you often hear about the kind of hard-nosed negotiation that makes the Mafia sound like provincial Avon reps.
First up the retailers will demand deep discounts to fund promotions.
Then they’ll ask for the kind of stock volume that would keep six warehouses in constant motion not to mention the tiny industrial units most brands work out of.
It’s not news that supplying the High Street can suck for small businesses. But is going it alone online really a better way to build brand awareness and grow sales?
Yes, natural beauty brands can sell direct through platforms like Amazon and eBay. And yet this is a category in which consumers really need to try the product first and experience the benefits.
Plus, all too often these benefits are tough to communicate through a single thumbnail image and 50 words tucked away somewhere on an e-commerce site.
Happily, one respected online retailer is discovering a different way to encourage new blood into the sector.
Launched last month, LoveLula Boutique is a new addition to the LoveLula website which works as a virtual shop window for natural brands.
The idea is to create a more mutually positive pact between producer and retailer. Brands benefit from being showcased on a site that takes curation very seriously, while also getting promoted through the platform’s marketing activity.
Once approved, brands supply up to six products. LoveLula then purchases every product sold at the trade price, and adds a small commission.
It’s an interesting new solution for the natural beauty sector. The hope is that both the online boutique and the brands benefit from the buzz of big sellers, while getting useful feedback on products that don’t work so well without committing to lots of stock.
Will it work? Watch this space. But whatever the results it’s a great way to bring new brands to discerning customers that truly care about what goes on their skin.
Matt Chittock is a freelance copywriter and journalist
